Introduction

Promotion policy rules set out how EU funding – rising from €142.5 million in 2017 to €188.5 million in 2018 and €200 million in 2020 – can be used for information and promotion initiatives in EU member states and countries outside the EU.

There are two kinds of promotion actions:

those run by European trade or inter-trade associations and co-financed by the EU

those run directly by the EU itself, such as diplomatic offensives by the Commissioner in non-EU countries to develop agri-food trade, participation in fairs and communication campaigns to promote EU farm products​

How does it work?

The European Commission defines the strategic priorities for promoting EU farm products and funding criteria in a yearly work programme outlining products and possible markets.

Annual work programme

The EU has set aside €133 million for co-financing promotion programmes in 2017. An additional €9.5 million is available for promotion actions directly managed by the Commission (e.g. EU pavilions at fairs in third countries, diplomatic offensives by the Commissioner).

Priorities for 2017 include promoting:

products with EU quality logos

products from Europe's outermost regions

organic production

Funding is also available to support sectors hit by market difficulties, such as dairy, beef and pig meat, while an extra €4.5 million is set aside to help the food and farming sector cope with any unexpected crises.

A new element for 2017 is €15 million that has been set aside to fund promotion programmes that increase awareness of sustainable agriculture and the role of agriculture in the EU's climate action.